I have just realised that the Imm Office has scheduled me to appear on the 23rd April to be told that my 12mth visa extn. is not ready yet. Should I go on Friday or will Monday 24th be OK?

Thanks.

Bandung_Dero wrote:I have just realised that the Imm Office has scheduled me to appear on the 23rd April to be told that my 12mth visa extn. is not ready yet. Should I go on Friday or will Monday 24th be OK?

Thanks.

Go early. Under NO circumstances will they excuse late attendance. remember it is now 500bht a day, plus god knows what other complications.

Just for info, no sign of actually be applied yet.
An immigration officer from Don Muang told me that offices throughout the country are being told to apply the latest currency exchange rates to pension statements listed in foreign currency, so , as an example, if you get 1,000$ US per month, this time last year you would be credited with receiving say 45,00bht per month, now you would only be seen as getting 38,000bht pcm,
Not clever for anyone on the borderline of monetary requirements.
Another thing being discussed, but not yet applied, is the minumum sum required for marriage O visa, currently 400,000bht. The figured being bantered around is a 50% increase. The good news is, home ownership may be taken into account in deciding this figure. Obviously some commonsense at last, because if you own your own place you don't need to find the money for rent, so can, overall live cheaper.

The sum required for a marriage visa extension was increased 100% from 200,000 to 400,000 just under 2 years ago on 9th July 2004.

To increase it again 50% (making it 600,000) so early after the last increase is disgusting to say the least.

200% in 2 years.

I have never understood how they reach this figure as how can they possibly know an individuals lifestyle. And why is it so much different from the Thai person who lives next door and survives on the average monthly salary of 5000 per month (60,000 per year)

Interesting how they said they will take house ownership into account. The applicant (the foreigner) is applying for an extension to support his Thai wife. Her bank account details and suchlike have never been taken into account before so - as we all know the foreigner cannot own land/house (generally) so how can a wifes 'assets' be taken into account now, when the foreigner is supposed to prove he can support his family ?

[quote="Pau

Interesting how they said they will take house ownership into account. The applicant (the foreigner) is applying for an extension to support his Thai wife. Her bank account details and suchlike have never been taken into account before so - as we all know the foreigner cannot own land/house (generally) so how can a wifes 'assets' be taken into account now, when the foreigner is supposed to prove he can support his family ?[/quote]
I suppose as a marriage visa it presupposes its a joint, ie couple application, therefore although legally the ownership of the assett, is the wifes, the occupation and therefore the benefit is to the couple.Why else are they stepping up the investigations that the couple are genuinely living together.
The amount of proposed increase is obviously in line with the previous one, although the Thai mind might say less. Last time 100%, this time only 50%.
To me it does seem logical to take house ownership into account as the rent can be, certainly in Bangkok or Pattaya area a substantial part of the 33,000 per month required to live here, sometimes as much as 20,000bht.
So if you don't have your own property and are paying rent, your disposable income, 13,000 bht is more in line with Thai figures.

valentine wrote:

Bandung_Dero wrote:I have just realised that the Imm Office has scheduled me to appear on the 23rd April to be told that my 12mth visa extn. is not ready yet. Should I go on Friday or will Monday 24th be OK?

Thanks.

Go early. Under NO circumstances will they excuse late attendance. remember it is now 500bht a day, plus god knows what other complications.

I think the one day grace period still applies.There so bloody fickle in there I'm a bit worried that they will say that one day late is better than two days early. 250km worth of diesel wasted

If it matters..at Don Muang it says 1 day overstay "Free" then 500B per day, which is a very strange policy if its true. Overstay is overstay IMHO

Still, I would'nt like to risk being stopped in a roadblock even 1 day late, this tolerance only applies if you volunteer to Immigration, not get caught by the Police, I should think.

Wouldn't have thought this would be classed as an overstay surely. More likely disobeying an order?Who knows

give them a ring after songran (mon 17th ?) and ask - making sure you know who you speak to!

if you have the time - then why not go early and remove all doubt ? rather than worry about it ?

yorkman wrote:If it matters..at Don Muang it says 1 day overstay "Free" then 500B per day, which is a very strange policy if its true. Overstay is overstay IMHO

I believe it is one of the very few signs of common sense you will see in this country. The one day grace period was introduced to alieviate problems arising out of airline re-scheduling, although you don't have to justify being a day late if your caught out. One more day and the meter starts --- at 1000 Baht.

Went in Friday all OK, another stamp. - "Come back in 30 days".
I asked them about any consiquences if I had come in Monday. That would have been OK as well, apparently owing to the nature of the visit they are fairly lenient about timing. AND that if my application was going to fail I would know by now and would have been summonsed back to the office. As happened to Paul with his discrepancy in account balances..

Bandung_Dero wrote:I asked them about any consiquences if I had come in Monday. That would have been OK as well, apparently owing to the nature of the visit they are fairly lenient about timing. AND that if my application was going to fail I would know by now and would have been summonsed back to the office. As happened to Paul with his discrepancy in account balances..

Thanks for reminding me

2 weeks to go and still no phone call - so maybe, just maybe it will mean someone has found some common sense ?

Paul and Bandung, that sounds promising then.

So can you guys' explain, what's the format then when one's yearly (retirement) visa is approaching renewal? Do you go about 1 or even 2 months beforehand, with all the documentation that you think is required and then they tell you if there is anything missing, and when it's agreed it's all in order, do you then leave it with them, and they give you a date to go back?

I am not on a retirement visa (shame on you , you have seen me before) and will not be on one for quite some time yet - however I do have a yearly renewal to do (Thai wife).
I have done enough of them now to know what they require and although there is a printed sheet of required documentation its always always only about 2/3 rds of what they actually 'demand' off you on the day you submit. I can tell you everything you need for as marriage visa extension but sorry not about a retirement extension.
I do not go beforehand, I just go a couple of weeks before my extension expires - submit the documents and then they stamp my passport to return in 30 days (or so) but u must go on that exact date and they will tell you if your extension application has been approved or not - or if the paperwork has not come back from Bkk they will give you another 30 day stamp - and so on until your application is back from Bkk. My first year took 5 months - subsequent years took about 2 months.

This year - well I don't want to talk about it LOL

Providing you fullfil the requirements an "OA" extension (Retirement Visa) will be granted immediately, where as, Paul stated, the "O" takes 2 months for approval. I did my first extn. last year and had it on the 2nd visit. Paul must have really pissed em off at one stage or another to have had to make 5 visits to get his first
Don't attempt to apply for an extension until you are within a week or two from expiry. You can get a written list of requirements (in English) from the Imm. office, or goto the ThaiVisa Forum.